Arkansas man convicted of murders now subject of TV showFORT SMITH— An Arkansas man who was given three life sentences in 2001 will now be the subject of a television show about serial killers. The Times Record reports the first season of "Murder By Numbers" takes a look at Charles Ray Vines' crimes in Sebastian and Crawford counties. Vines was convicted of two capital murder charges, residential burglary and rape. His victims include Juanita Wofford, who was killed in 1993, and Ruth Henderson, who...

Police say an attempted robber fatally shot in ArkansasBLYTHEVILLE — Police say a person who tried to rob a pizza business in northeast Arkansas was fatally shot. Blytheville Police Capt. Scott Adams said the person was shot late Sunday at a Domino's Pizza. Adams said an employee of the business shot the person during the attempted robbery. The person's name and other details were not immediately released.

Northwest Arkansas man resentenced in 1997 murderVAN BUREN — A northwest Arkansas man has been resentenced to life in prison for committing a murder in 1997 at age 16. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Tony Ray was one of nearly 60 offenders in Lincoln County whose life sentences were vacated last year after the Supreme Court expanded its ban on mandatory life without parole for juveniles. Authorities say Ray broke into Lisa Gail Lewis' home in Van Buren and fatally shot her. Ray wi...

Arkansas starts fiscal year with revenue upLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas has started its fiscal year with the state's revenue coming in higher than expectations and above what was collected the same month last year. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration on Wednesday said the state's net available revenue in July totaled $454.5 million, which was $53.8 million above July 2016 and $10.5 million above forecast. The department said individual and corporate income tax collections w...

Firefighters: Man dies trying to save children from fireNORTH LITTLE ROCK — Authorities say a man died while trying to save children from a house fire in central Arkansas. North Little Rock Fire Chief John Plasterer told reporters the man and a woman saw the house on fire Wednesday morning and went inside to rescue the children. Plasterer says the woman was able to help two children and herself escape, but the man died. No names were immediately released. Plasterer said the cause of the fire is und...

Arkansas prison breakout prompts investigationPINE BLUFF— Two guards and an inmate have been attacked at a maximum security prison in central Arkansas, prompting a guard to fire three warning shots into the air, according to state Department of Correction officials. Department officials said it wasn't notified of the situation last month until the Arkansas Times reported about it Monday. Department spokesman Solomon Graves said the Arkansas State Police is investigating the July 22 incide...

Police investigation sought after audit of Arkansas cityBENTONVILLE — A county prosecutor in northwest Arkansas has asked Arkansas State Police to investigate financial wrongdoing reported in a recent legislative audit in Cave Springs. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith sent a letter Thursday to State Police Director Bill Bryant requesting the investigation. Smith said in the letter that the audit found that Cave Springs officials were overpai...

1 of 2 teens pleads not guilty in Arkansas officer's killingLITTLE ROCK — One of two teenagers charged in the death of an Arkansas police officer has pleaded not guilty to capital murder and several other charges. KATV-TV reports that a 16-year-old entered the plea Thursday in the June 12 fatal shooting of Newport Lt. Patrick Weatherford. An 18-year-old pleaded not guilty to furnishing a deadly weapon to a minor, breaking and entering and property theft. The 18-year-old posted bond last month. The 16-y...

Arkansas officials not ready to OK 75 mph limit on highways LITTLE ROCK — While a new Arkansas law that took effect Tuesday authorizes speeds of up to 75 mph on some major highways, state highway officials said, "Not so fast." Engineers are still studying road designs and traffic patterns to determine whether Arkansas should join 18 other states with speed limits at least that high, Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle said Tuesday. It's possible that no part of the state's 16,432-mil...

Arkansas panel halts action on juvenile lifers' sentencesLITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Parole Board is halting action under the state's new law that eliminates mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles after a judge ruled it is unconstitutional. A law took effect in March making juvenile life-without-parole inmates eligible for release after serving 25 years for first-degree murder or 30 years for capital murder. The law affected 36 inmates already given life without parole for offenses com...

Inman says she'll run again for Arkansas secretary of stateLITTLE ROCK — A former state and local elections official says she's making another run for Arkansas secretary of state. Susan Inman announced Tuesday she's seeking the Democratic nomination for the post, currently held by Republican Mark Martin. Martin was first elected to the post in 2010 and is barred from seeking re-election next year because of term limits. Inman lost to Martin in the 2014 secretary of state's race. She served as director...

Arkansas governor travels to Washington to talk health lawLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says a meeting in Washington with other governors and Trump administration officials to discuss the health care overhaul was productive and that he's encouraged there's a commitment to include him and leaders from other states to find solutions to concerns with the law. Hutchinson's office said the Republican governor traveled to Washington on Monday morning for the White House meeting to discuss opti...

3 of 4 charged in Arkansas day care van death enter pleasMARION— Three of four women charged with manslaughter in the death of a 5-year-old boy who was left in a day care van in Arkansas have pleaded not guilty. Online court records show Felicia Phillips, Wanda Taylor and Kendra Washington pleaded not guilty on Monday in Crittenden County Circuit Court in Marion. The three are charged in the June 12 death of Christopher Gardner Jr., who authorities say was left in a day care van in West Memphis for ...

2 killed in collision on Interstate 40 in central ArkansasMAUMELLE — Arkansas State Police say two people were killed after a crash on Interstate 40 in central Arkansas on Sunday. State police say the wreck happened at about 5 a.m. Sunday near the Morgan/Maumelle exit on the interstate in Pulaski County. According to a preliminary report, a car driven by 27-year-old Lucy Enloe of North Little Rock was disabled in the right lane because of an earlier, unrelated wreck. An oncoming pickup truck crashed ...

Medical professionals in Arkansas join marijuana systemLITTLE ROCK — Several health care professionals are joining Arkansas' rising medical marijuana market, but many physicians remain hesitant or opposed to participating. The Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association is compiling a list of doctors willing to certify patients to use medical marijuana, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported . Dr. John House with the Eureka Springs Family Clinic said he's willing to sign the certifications be...

Arkansas sees decrease in graduates going to state collegesLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas education officials say the number of high school graduates enrolling in state colleges in 2016 decreased slightly compared to the year before. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the Arkansas Department of Higher Education found that about 50 percent of the state's more than 30,000 public high school graduates enrolled in a state public college or university last year. That's down from 51 percent in 2015. The report d...

16-year-old charged in Arkansas police officer's killingLITTLE ROCK — A 16-year-old has been charged as an adult with capital murder in the shooting death of an Arkansas police officer. The teen was being held Wednesday at a juvenile detention center in the death of Newport police Lt. Patrick Weatherford. The teen's name wasn't immediately released by authorities. The charges filed Wednesday also include possession of a handgun by a minor. An 18-year-old had previously been accused in the June 12 s...

Arkansas senators say they'll continue health care workLITTLE ROCK— Arkansas' two Republican senators say they want to continue addressing concerns they have with the federal health care overhaul despite the collapse of GOP efforts in Washington to repeal and replace the law. U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman voted early Friday for the slimmed-down repeal legislation that narrowly failed in the U.S. Senate. Cotton said later Friday he was disappointed in the vote's result, but vowed to workin...

Court clears way for Arkansas abortion pill rulesLITTLE ROCK — An appeals court panel cleared the way Friday for Arkansas to restrict how the abortion pill is administered in the state, saying a judge didn't estimate how many women would be burdened by a 2015 law's requirement. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis vacated U.S. District Court Judge Kristine Baker's preliminary injunction against the law. The measure requires doctors providing the pill to m...

New market for Arkansas riceLITTLE ROCK -- If everything goes according to plan, Arkansas will be selling rice to China. This is possible because Sonny Perdue, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recently signed an agreement that allows U.S. farmers to sell rice to China for the first time in history. This is great news for our farmers in Arkansas. We grow as much rice as the other 49 states combined. This deal opens up very a profitable market for the state...